World Cup of Hockey: Finland vs Sweden recap, full highlights

Team Sweden inched out a close 2-0 win over Finland in the World Cup of Hockey.

Sweden and Finland have a glorious rivalry in hockey. Whenever the two countries face each other in men’s hockey, it seems like the game’s a classic. Their rivalry had yet another classic on Tuesday Sept. 20 at the World Cup of Hockey as Sweden beat Finland 2-0.

The first goal of the game was scored by Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Anton Stralman. Credit Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin for doing what they do best: making defenses look silly with their puck dangling. Loui Eriksson added an empty net goal with under three seconds left to ensure the win.

Both goaltenders played spectacularly and were the two biggest stars of the game. Sweden goaltender Henrik Lundqvist turned away each of the 35 shots on goal he faced. For Finland, Tuukka Rask turned away 26 of the 27 shots he faced. It was a relatively slow game compared to previous World Cup games. Both teams know each other very well.

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Highlights

Players Of The Game

For Sweden, their best player was Lundqvist. King Henrik was rusty during exhibition play, but as always, he rose to the occasion. Performances like this are the norm for Lundqvist, and he keeps finding ways to impress. 2016 second overall pick Patrik Laine stood out for Finland. It’s almost unfair how good and young he is. Laine has been dangerous with the puck for the entire tournament, and today was no exception. He led all skaters with five shots on goal.

What’s Next

With the regulation win, Sweden advances to 2-0-0. That all but ensures a top two spot in Group B. They aren’t in the clear quite yet because of tiebreakers, but they control their own destiny at this point. Sweden plays North America at 3:00 on Wednesday. Finland falls to 0-2-0 and needs to rely on North America to lose. Thursday’s game against Russia is a must win for Finland.